OZZY OSBOURNE: 'It's The End Of BLACK SABBATH, Believe Me'

BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne has confirmed to NOLA.com that the band's "The End" tour, which starts January 20 in Omaha, Nebraska, will, as the title indicates, be the last time the group hits the road.

"It's the end of SABBATH, believe me," Ozzy said, adding that the group has opted against recording a final album after scoring its first No. 1 and winning a Grammy Award with 2013's "13".

"In December, I'll be fuckin' 68 and I think it's time to call it the end of the day," he added. "I'm not saying I won't get on stage with Geezer [Butler, BLACK SABBATH bassist] or Tony [Iommi, BLACK SABBATH guitarist] or any of them some time, but officially we're going to be done.

"I don't want it to dwindle and dwindle and play just for the sake of making another fuckin' sack full of cash. So it's time, and then I'll go back to doing my own thing."

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Iommi said in a recent interview that BLACK SABBATH's upcoming farewell tour is truly its last because he is not physically capable of doing it any longer. Speaking with the Birmingham Mail, Iommi explained, "I can't actually do this anymore. My body won't take it much more."

Iommi, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012 and was treated all through SABBATH's extensive 2013 world tour, admitted that he was worried the rigors of the road could bring the disease back. He revealed: "I don't want that creeping back again, and all the traveling involved in SABBATH tours increasingly takes its toll. That's why we're going out on one last tour, to say our farewells. And then it very definitely is the end. We won't be doing it again."

The legendary guitarist continued: "Don't get me wrong, I still love gigging. It's all the traveling and the exhaustion that goes with it that's the problem. That side of things has a big impact on me… I love being up there onstage, playing with SABBATH. What I don't love is all the other stuff necessary to enable that to happen."

Iommi was also hospitalized recently with back problems, and he still requires blood tests every six weeks to monitor his lymphoma.

"The End" tour will encompass about a year, including breaks.

The original lineup of SABBATH reunited in late 2011 for the "13" album and a world tour. Although founding drummer Bill Ward was on board at first, he dropped out over what he called contractual issues. Ward will apparently not be part of the farewell tour either.

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